RIP Bob Hoskins: One of the all-time great British actors is gone

Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday

I was shocked to learn that the combustible Cockney actor Bob Hoskins had died at the age of 71.

I had literally just watched his iconic star-making role in the 1980 gangster classic The Long Good Friday last week and had marveled at how ferocious and badass his lead performance was.

Of course most American audiences became aware of Hoskins when he took on an unlikely leading role opposite a cartoon in the 1988 blockbuster Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

As I've written before, this movie both delighted me and terrified me as a child. The movie works, for the most part, because Hoskins is entirely credible as a hard-bitten Los Angeles gumshoe and he plays it totally straight opposite a bevy of animated stars.

I remember being shocked to learn after the fact that Hoskins was British but I came to appreciate his chameleon ability in many character roles.

He shined in a lot of small parts. Among my favorites were his droll Smee opposite Dustin Hoffman in Steven Spielberg's underrated Hook (1991) and his insidious take on the infamous J. Edgar Hoover in Oliver Stone's terrific epic Nixon (1995).

Still, for me his best role -- and it appears many critics agree with me -- is his first major one, The Long Good Friday. His performance as Harold Shand -- a pompous, but also, rough around the edges, mob boss -- is deserving of legendary status. He tears through the screen, with a very sexy Helen Mirren by his side, as a doomed but dazzling guy from the streets who aspires for grandeur.

Al Pacino's Scarface owes a little bit to the Shand character, but Hoskins also has a style and lingo all his own. Hoskins was fantastic at playing combustible rage and barely contained emotion. Yet, for me, he was never over-the-top and he felt entirely authentic.

As tragic as his passing is, I'm excited at the prospect of a whole new generation of film buffs rediscovering this great actor's work. Start with The Long Good Friday, if you can get past the thick accents (subtitles are your friend), you won't regret it.